Welcome to Marzipan!
by Bumblehigh07
Summary: A certain rock monster gets a phonecall and Mung Daal's catering gets one child more.


It was a quiet day in Marzipan City, The Man in the Sky made sure to keep the weather clear and beautiful. It seemed every Marzipanian decided to lay back.

Within the center of the food-inspired city, sat a rather large building with a gaping smokestack on it's side. The only inhabitants inside the establishment were lazily going about their day, the youngest of the four mixing a bowl of batter for one of the few orders they had gotten that day.

The cat-bunny-bear thing sighed as he set down his spoon and held his chin in his hand. He looked around the kitchen before setting his eyes on his Cooking Master across the room. "Mung Daal, why is today going by so slow?"

The ancient aged man stopped what he was doing and looked to the boy with a curious look of his own. "You know, I've noticed it too. Well, Chowder, today seems to just be one of those days."

"You mean like the days where Truffles is extra grumpy?"

"No," The chef replied quickly with a shake of his head. "those are special days you'll learn when you're older. I mean by the fact that today is a day where nobody wants to do anything except sit down and be fat and lazy."

His apprentice blinked before realization hit him. "Oh! I get it! But what are we supposed to do when everyone in Marzipan is being fat and lazy?" Chowder asked.

"Join 'em!" The big nosed man said before he pulled up a chair and slouched in it with a sigh. "Oh yeah..that feels good."

Chowder could only follow with his own ecstatic sigh as he slipped lower in his own chair. That did feel good. Even after nearly twelve years under Mung Daal's care and supervision, he still copied him obediently. Everything was quiet and warm in the kitchen, not even the sharp, sudden ringing of the phone could disturb their peace.

"Mung Daal's Catering, how may I help you?" Truffles' voice rang into the speaker. She listened and arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to talk to him?-Alright! Alright! No need to get your panties in a bunch." She covered the speaker to yell from her desk. "Schnitzel! You've got a phone call!"

She handed the phone to the rock monster, listening in as she went back to filing papers and taxes.  
"Rada?-Rarada rada. Rada rada rada." She glanced at him as he scratched the back of his neck, his conversation with the person on the line seeming to grow uncomfortable. "Raaadaaaa. Rada rada rada. Rada. Ra! Rarada rada!" He glared to the far wall as he tapped his foot. "Rada rada! Ra-Rada rada rada! RA-DA!"

Schnitzel slammed the phone back on it's receiver with a growl, stomping back into the kitchen angrily and catching the attention of everyone.

"Schnitzel, baby! What's wrong?" Mung asked as he stood up from his stool.

"Rada rada rada." Came the grumbled response from his coworker.

"Your ex-girlfriend? Oh my, what did she want?"

"Rada rada."

"What about Feta-Chi?"

"Rada rada rada!"

The chef gasped loudly, his mustache flinging upwards. "Really? She accused you of neglect? You? The man who sends child support every month? The nerve!" He pit his hands on his waist. "Well, this certainly will not do! We need to set the record straight with that boulder and-"

"Rada rada..."

Mung's face deflated at his friend's next words. "She..did what?" He watched as the janitor nodded his head.

"Ra. Da."

"Mung Daal, who's Feta-Chi?" Chowder asked as he came over, interested in what and who they were talking about.

"Feta-Chi is Schnitzel's daughter-"

"Schnitzel has a daughter?"

"Yes. And..she's coming here. Her mother is putting her on the next train to Marzipan as we speak."

The boy blinked, slowly arching a furry eyebrow. "Soooo..there's gonna be another girl here?"

Mung Daal nodded. "Afraid so. But don't worry! Feta-Chi is close to your age and I'm sure you to will be the best of friends!" He smiled down at him. "Now go clean up your room, Chowder."

"What?! You mean she's staying in my room? Why can't she stay with Schnitzel?"

"Because unfortunately, Schnitzel's apartment only has one bedroom. Now go." The man pointed to the stairs and gave him a stern look.

Chowder's soldier's slumped as he whined but he did as his master said and trudged up the stairs to his room. He kicked his door closed with a huff and plunked on his bed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Man! Kimchi can you believe it? Mung is making the girl stay in here with me! This is my room! This is my no-girls-allowed sanctuary!"

The stink cloud gave a small sound to show his support, unable to really do anything else inside his cage.

"Aw well. Maybe Mung's right, maybe I will like her," He shrugged as he picked up his clothes and threw them in the laundry hamper. "I haven't exactly hung out with any other girl besides Panini, no matter how hard I try to stay away from her," He stuffed all his leftover snacks into a cabinet and forced it shut with a grunt, sliding to the ground and looking out his window. "Maybe Feta-Chi will actually by cool. What do you think, Kimchi?"

Again, the stink cloud gave another noise.

"I knew you'd agree with me."

-  
Busy Marzipanians frantically ran back and forth across the platform of the train station, some bumping into others with a blurred apology before continuing on. Even on a lazy day, the train station was always busy.

The four caterers waited patiently, glancing up and down the platform looking for their arriving guest.

"Are you sure this is the right train?" Truffles asked as she fanned herself. "It's so hot out here, can't we just send her a cab?"

"No, Truffles. She is our guest and we are to treat her like family. Considering she is Schnitzel's it is even more important we make her feel at home! Oh look, there she is!" He pointed over to the other rock monster stepping off her train with her suitcase behind her.

The child was greyish-brown like her father with short obsidian hair, some covering her left eye. She had on a light blue and white sweatshirt with a matching skirt and Mary-Jane's. Feta-Chi reached into her pocket and pulled out her blue berét, fixing it against her head before walking. She looked around with a lost look, unsure of what to think of the new place and simply looking for a familiar face.

"Feta! Feta-Chi!"

She blinked at hearing her name and turned her head. She saw a big-nosed blue man with a wacky mustache standing next to a crabby-looking mushroom pixie, a pudgy purple bunny-cat-bear? thing, and..  
Her eyes brightened when she saw the familiar tall figure of her father, hurrying over and jumping into his arms.

The rock monster easily caught and held her close with his own smile, squeezing her before setting her down. "Rada rada rada?"

She nodded happily up to him before a large purple face was suddenly in her vision.

"Hi! I'm Chowder and I'm gonna grow up to be a chef! Are you gonna be a chef? How come you wear that hat? Do you like thrice cream? I LOVE THRICE CREAM!"

Mung Daal pulled the purple boy back from the startled rock monstress child, pushing him behind and clearing his throat. "Ahem, sorry about that. Chowder here is a bit excited about your visit as are all of us! Welcome to Marzipan City, Feta! Our home is your home if you'd follow us this way."

Feta-Chi blinked after taking a step back. She gave a small shrug and picked up her suitcase, following them to the Snail-car. She heaved the case into the trunk before sliding into place in the back seat next to Chowder.

Mung revved the engine and started down the street back towards the kitchen. "You're gonna love it here with us, Feta! You can help Chowder and I around the kitchen, you can run orders with Truffles, Clean with Schnitzel, and blah blah blah blah."

Feta-Chi stopped paying attention, unable to concentrate with the bunny eared, cat thing staring at him and grinning in the next seat. She shifted nervously in her seat, looking to him and giving a wave.

Chowder smiled wider at her. "Mung Daal said that you can stay in my room, I cleaned it up earlier and made sure Kimchi's cage was nice and clean. Kimchi is my pet stink cloud and sometimes when new people are around he gets the toots." He had scooted closer to her the more he talked, forcing Feta in the corner of the seat with a frightened look he didn't register.

"Later I can show you all my favorite snack places! We can get barbeque, and pork, and rice and-" He paused when he saw her scrunched up in her seat, staring at him in fear. His ears flattened from under his hat and his face fell. "Hey, what's wrong? Do I scare you? Come on I'm not scary! I'm pudgy! See?" He squished his cheeks in, making his lips pucker and his words deformed.

Feta-Chi watched him, her fear ebbing away as the-whatever he was-mashed his fat cheeks together and made odd sounds. She blinked, then smiled. Her shoulder began to shake with a silent chuckle before she was laughing without a sound at the boy next to her.

Chowder was glad she wasn't afraid now, taking his hands off his face and watching her laugh. He wonder though, why wasn't She talking? "Boy, you really like playing the quiet game don't you? Mung has me play that after a really long day in the kitchen. Really really long days."

She stopped after his comment and shook her head, earning her a confuzzled expression.

"You don't like playing the quiet game? Then why don't you talk?" He watched as she put a hand on her throat then shook her head again. Oh, now he understood. "Feta-Chi..you..you can't talk?"

She shook her head once more, casting her eyes down towards the floor of the car. He looked away as well, feeling bad he brought up such a sensitive topic in front of her. The rest if the ride was silent.

When the beat up Snail-car rolled into the garage, Feta-Chi stepped out and waited while her dad got her things before following him inside. Her eyes widened, moving her hair to get a better look as she gazed up in wonder at the kitchen. From the towering palm trees that held up the ceiling, to the bubbling cauldron that sat in the fireplace. She'd never been in a catering kitchen before, in fact, she'd never been outside her city of Rockland. Not even when her dad stopped coming by.

"You like it? This is where you'll spend the next few weeks, Feta-Chi. I'll let you help me on some of the easier recipes, then you can sit back and watch your old man work!" Mung Daal chuckled some as he hung up his driving cap and gloves. "Speaking of cooking, you must be starving. The train ride here must have been long. Did your mother give any dollaps for food?"

Feta-Chi shook her head as she climbed into a stool. Now that she thought about it, she really was hungry and regretted not eating before she boarded the train. She took a cook boom off a shelf and began flipping through it.

Burple Nurples? No.

Wanton Bombs? No..

Roast Most? Nope.

She kept looking and looking until finally, she found what she was looking for. Cheesy chicken stuffed finger lingies. She smiled and turned the book to the old chef, pointing to the picture.

The blue man took the book and cocked an eyebrow. "Stuffed finger lingies? I remember having these as a boy but are you sure you want these? They're a bit..childish." The child could only nod and smile at him more. He gave a small shake of his head with a chuckle. "Alright then. If you insist. Schnitzel, fire up the oven!"  
She swung her feet happily as she watched the two prepare the meal, laying her head down on her arms and giving a quiet sigh of content. This is what she missed back home. Warmth in the air with jokes and a playful ambiance. It was normal for things to be grey back home, but when her dad stopped visiting, everything turned to a different shade. Now, it seemed like the world was turning from grey to a different color. One she couldn't make and didn't care to.

She traced over the grooves in the worn out counted top, letting her mind wander back to when she was younger. She would be pushed on the swing and ride on her father's shoulders all day. She smiled at the fond memory. The last day he came by he had taken her out and gotten her her berét, though it was much larger on her then. At the end of the day, she helped him in the kitchen and made her new favorite dish.

Cheesy Chicken stuffed finger lingies.


End file.
